Un(der) developed eyes in baby bunny

Question
Dana,

The other day a baby bun was dumped at our rabbitshelter (Franky, The Netherlands). It was around 3-4 weeks old. It's eyes were a mass of puss and stank badly.
I took it to the vet, and after cleaning it was put antibiotic ointment.
Now, 5 weeks later, one eye is as well as can be, though blind, the other one is still not well, and has formed a little growth. But at least it is clean.
I looked everywhere to find information on how the eyes develop, and at what time at the latest they should be open and what happens if they don't open etc etc.
But I cant find specific rabbit info about this.
Do you know anything about this?  

Answer
Hi, Liesbeth!  Long time no hear!  :)

Thank you for helping the little bunny.  We've had babies with infected eyes before, too, and it's no fun.

If the baby was very young when its eyes were obscured by the infection, it's very possible that it's now too late for the neuronal connections to form that would allow proper vision.  If the healthy eye looks normal, but is blind, then that's very likely what has happened.

If the other eye is still having trouble, it's not likely to ever develop vision, either.  Though even a little bit of stimulus can be enough to start those neurons growing in the right direction.

The critical period for this process in rabbits is about the same as for cats:  starting when the eyes open, and lasting several days.  If the eyes are not open in time, or if something obstructs their vision when they are newly opened, normal brain connections won't form, and the bunny will be blind.

I don't have to tell an experienced bunny mom like you that a blind rabbit can do quite well in a safe environment.  So I hope you can find someone special for this "special needs" baby who can give him a forever home.

Good luck!

Dana